Student Success Center
Student Success Center (SSC) Welcome to the Student Success Center (SSC) wiki at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. The Student Success Center is a unit composed of three academic support service programs: the Learning Assistance Center (LAC), Special Support Services (SSS) and Supplemental Instruction Program (SIP). All 3 programs are located in the McIver building. Success Center Home Page http://success.uncg.edu Learning Assistance Center (LAC) Program Overview The Learning Assistance Center (LAC) is solely funded by UNCG and serves the entire university student body. Support services include individual and group tutoring; academic skills assessment; computer assisted academic skills enhancement; and academic skills workshops throughout the academic year. The LAC staff provides programming and services to help undergraduate students improve their academic performance and achieve their educational goals. All of the services are free and available to any student. General Information The LAC is located in McIver Hall, rooms 101-104, 150. The Learning Assistance Center (LAC) is an academic support program that challenges students to become independent and successful learners. Services such as tutoring (primarily 100-200 level courses; 300-600 in Nursing), academic skills, instruction, and workshops help students: improve study skills, increase their understanding of course content, enhance self-confidence, and encourage positive attitudes toward learning. LAC Goals The LAC accomplishes its mission by: • Assisting students in acquiring academic skills that will enhance their academic performance • Assisting students in learning methods that will improve their subject content mastery • Enhancing undergraduate academic performance and retention • Continually assessing our effectiveness and incorporating changes for program improvement • Collaborating with faculty and staff to address students' academic need Types of Tutoring Individual Tutoring Students meet 1:1 with a peer tutor for a minimum of one hour each week. Group tutoring Group tutoring consists of one tutor and no more than 3 students. Groups meet for 1.5 - 2 hours each week depending on the size of the group. All students in a group must be enrolled with the same professor, preferably in the same section. Walk-in tutoring The Learning Assistance Center does not offer Walk-in tutoring. However, there are several academic departments that sponsor walk-in tutoring services. Included below is a list of the departments that we have been made aware of. ENG/101 walk-in tutoring is available through the University Writing Center. Anthropology 253 Open labs: Tuesdays & Fridays (4-6pm), New Science building, Rm. 140 Biology http://success.uncg.edu/lac/tutoring/BIOWalkInSP08.pdf Chemistry http://success.uncg.edu/lac/tutoring/CHEWalkInSP08.pdf Computer Science (C++): http://www.uncg.edu/cmp/tutoring.html Math & Statistics: http://www.uncg.edu/mat/tutoring.html Romance Languages: http://success.uncg.edu/lac/tutoring/RLWalkInSP08.pdf Teaching Resources Center (PRAXIS): http://www.uncg.edu/soe/trc/index.htm University Writing Center: http://www.uncg.edu/eng/writingcenter/ Student Responsibilities During your first tutoring session, your tutor will discuss our tutoring contract with you. This contract covers goals of tutoring, student responsibilities, and a tutor's responsibilities. Please pay close attention to the section detailing student responsibilities. Among other things, we do maintain an attendance policy. In particular: • Contact your tutor or the LAC office no less than 24 hours in advance if you cannot attend a scheduled session. • Students who miss a scheduled session without notifying their tutor or the LAC office will be marked as a "no-show." • Students who have one no show will receive a reminder letter from the Assistant Director; students with two no-shows will be suspended from tutoring until they meet with the Assistant Director; students with three no-shows will be removed from tutoring for that particular course for the semester. Course Limitations While we strive to provide tutoring in as many disciplines as possible, there are some that are not feasible for us. There are two categories you should check: 1) Courses Served Exclusively by Supplemental Instruction (SIP) 2) General Disciplines Not Served by Tutoring In many cases, our Academic Skills staff can help you with enhancing your study skills, note taking approaches, test taking strategies, reading methods, or other areas that impact your coursework. If this is the case, please complete our online Academic Skills request form using the link below. Courses Served Exclusively by Supplemental Instruction (SIP) In response to the challenge of effectively serving as many tutoring requests as possible while maintaining high quality service, we have determined that there are several SIP-related courses which will receive exclusive content support for the students enrolled. This enables the LAC to effectively meet the high demand for tutoring, while allowing students multiple review opportunities each week for their SIP-related course. If you do not see your SIP-related course listed below, you are welcome to submit an application for tutoring. FALL 2008 SIP-Related Courses Not Served BIO 111-01 BIO 111-04 CHE 103-01 Appeal Process An appeal for tutoring may be made if you are enrolled in an SIP-related course section that is not currently supported, provided that you are unable to attend ALL review sessions for your specific course and section number due to: 1) course / lab conflicts 2) employment conflicts 3) student-athlete conflicts Successful appeals will be granted based on a completed appeal form and one of the following: 1) a copy of your UNCGenie schedule showing academic conflicts with all review sessions; 2) a letter from your employer documenting work schedule conflicts (on company letterhead, with your supervisor's contact information); or 3) a letter from Athletics - Academic Enhancement verifying the conflict. Appeal Form (* PDF - please print this form) http://success.uncg.edu/lac/tutoring/Appeal%20Form_Request%20Tutoring%20in%20SIP%20Course_Final.pdf General Disciplines Not Served by Tutoring Department/Courses African-American Studies (AFS) - ALL Art (ART) - ALL Broadcast Cinema (BCN) - ALL Classical Studies (CCI) - All but Greek Computer Science (CSC) - ALL Communication Science Disorders (CSD) - ALL Communication Studies (CST) - ALL English (ENG) - ALL Composition (e.g., 101) - ALL Literature (e.g., 104, 105, 107) - All Health (HEA)- ALL History (HST) - ALL Information Systems/Operation Management (ISM) - ALL Interior Architecture (IAR)- ALL Music (MUS) - ALL Religion (REL) - ALL Specialized Education Services (SES) - ALL Western Civilization (WCV) - ALL Academic Skills Tutoring What Will Academic Skills Do For Me?• Improve your grades • Become a better listener and note taker • Improve your reading comprehension • Score better on tests and overcome anxiety • Budget your time better • Study more effectively The Learning Assistance Center offers FREE services to the entire UNCG undergraduate community. Our main goal is to help students become better, more self-sufficient learners. We utilize a variety of assessment instruments to help identify students' learning needs and concerns. Staff members are available to assist students with interpreting test results as well as to help develop specific strategies for improvement. Scheduling an Appointment Erin Farrior, our Academic Skills specialist, is available Mondays and Tuesdays from 11:30-7:00pm and Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 9am-4pm for individual consultations. To request assistance, please fill out our online application. http://success.uncg.edu/lac/skills/skillsrequest.asp OWLS In addition to one-on-one sessions, the Academic Skills staff also conduct OWLS (Outreach Workshop Learning Series) workshops for faculty and any student group with more than ten students on campus. For a complete list of these topics and to sign up for a workshop, please go to http://success.uncg.edu/workshop/ Apply for Services Tutoring Request Forms please go to http://success.uncg.edu/services/ Online Tutoring Request form We are currently accepting tutoring requests for Fall 2008 only. Spring 2009 requests will be accepted after the Registration period has begun for that semester. Special Support Services (SSS) Program Overview Special Support Services (SSS) is jointly funded by The U.S. Department of Education and UNCG. SSS is a TRIO program available to assist first-generation college students and students with disabilities. SSS promotes support services that help students overcome academic, social, and cultural barriers to higher education. Program students receive an array of comprehensive services that include: counseling; academic skills assessment and development; individualized peer and professional tutoring; graduate and professional school guidance; workshops and opportunities to attend educational and cultural events. Students can utilize the SSS academic services from the time of enrollment through graduation. General Information Special Support Services (SSS) is a TRIO education support program designed to maximize academic performance for UNCG students who are first-generation, from modest income backgrounds, or who have a disability. Services include counseling, academic skills instruction, tutoring, graduate school guidance, and learning lab. The array of Special Support Services Counseling Services includes assistance with a career, academic, or personal concern; clarification of university, school and department policies and procedures, as well as guidance regarding job, major, or graduate school issues. Other services are individualized educational planning, group discussions, a listening ear, and lots of encouragement! Peer mentoring is offered to freshmen. We call our peer mentors Student Success Assistants (SSAs). These highly motivated and successful sophomore- through- senior students provide excellent assistance to freshmen in adjusting to UNCG. All receive training in helping skills. Rules of confidentiality are followed. The Academic Skills component offers several ways for you to improve what you do both in and out of the classroom. You can begin by having your skills assessed to determine your personal strengths and weaknesses as a student. We will work with you individually to develop skills that produce effective results. Additionally, you can improve your writing or computer skills by meeting with the Assistant Director for Academic Skills. Students with disabilities can also receive additional support and resources. The tutoring component exists to develop independent learners and improve student academic performance. Our peer and professional tutors strive to help students excel in difficult courses through the application of academic skills and concepts blended with knowledge of the subject. In keeping with our mission of providing holistic, quality service, tutoring is available for most courses, and is conducted on a one-to-one basis. For the benefit of all SSS students, walk-in tutoring is offered each semester during the final exam period. Services are FREE for all students who qualify for the Special Support Services program. The Learning Lab is located in 142 McIver Building. The Lab is available to all actively enrolled students in Special Support Services. Apply for services Special Support Services is a federally funded program designed to assist first generation college students, students from low to moderate income backgrounds and students who have a documented disability. If you meet any of these criteria, please complete the application below. If you do not meet these criteria, please use the LAC links above to request assistance. Program Application New Applicants: New Student Application for the 2007-2008 Year! (PDF)* Complete online and print! http://success.uncg.edu/sss/forms/NewSSSProgramApp0708_fillin.pdf (Please complete a renewal application if you are requesting services for the first time this academic year) Returning Students: Online Continued Services Application for 2007-2008 http://success.uncg.edu/sss/forms/NewSSSProgramApp0809_fillin.pdf Please review the Contract for Continued Services (PDF)* http://success.uncg.edu/sss/forms/contractforcontsvcs.pdf If you have already reactivated, use this form to request services from all 3 components! Request for Services: All-in-One Online Request Form http://success.uncg.edu/sss/forms/servicerequest.asp Supplemental Instruction Program (SIP) Program Overview Supplemental Support Services (SIP) is solely funded by UNCG and is a series of weekly discussion/ study group review sessions for students taking historically difficult courses. SIP is available for all students enrolled in specific course section who want to improve their grades. SIP sessions consist of a discussion facilitated by an SIP leader who has successfully completed the course. The SIP leader knows the class content and sits through class with you every day. Statistics show that by attending lectures and studying alone, students retain information at 5 – 10%; add SIP and this rate increases 50 – 90%! http://success.uncg.edu/sip/ General Information The Supplemental Instruction Program began at UNCG in Spring of 2003 as a pilot program. Since then, it has grown each year as its popularity increases. But what exactly is the Supplemental Instruction Program? The Supplemental Instruction Program, or SIP, is a formal study group designed to help you achieve success in a course that has been designated as historically difficult. Review Sessions: Discussion and review is available for all students enrolled in a specific SIP course section who want to improve their grades. SIP occurs on a weekly basis in 3 one-hour sessions. These weekly sessions consist of a discussion facilitated by a trained SIP leader who has successfully completed the course. SIP Leaders: The leader knows the class content. The leader will be in class every day, hearing what the class hears and reviewing what the class reads. What that leader will not do is lecture; the leader's job is to help students think about the lectures and readings, and then put the course material into perspective during the SIP sessions. Participation: Students enrolled in a course that offers SIP can attend all of the weekly sessions. The SIP Leader will make an announcement at the beginning of class regarding the location and time of each session. Supported Courses Spring 2008 Supported Courses ART 101 - Survey of Western Art BIO 105 - Major Concepts in Biology BIO 111 - Principles of Biology I BIO 112 - Principles of Biology II BIO 277 - Mammalian Physiology BIO 355 - Cell Biology BIO 392 - Genetics CHE 103 - General Descriptive Chemistry I CHE 104 - General Descriptive Chemistry II CHE 111 - General Chemistry I CHE 114 - General Chemistry II CHE 352 - Organic Chemistry II PHY 211 - General Physics I PHY 212 - General Physics II Meeting Times and Places Fall 2008: TBA Employment Opportunities Learning Assistance Center LAC Tutors: Currently accepting applications Graduate Student Workers: no positions available at this time LAC Lab Monitor: no positions available at this time LAC Work Study Positions: no positions available at this time http://success.uncg.edu/employment/ Special Support Services SSS Tutors: Currently accepting applications for Summer & Fall 2008 Student Success Assistants: Currently accepting applications for the 2008-2009 school year. SSS Work Study Lab Monitor: Currently accepting applications for Fall 2008 http://success.uncg.edu/employment/ Supplemental Instruction SIP Leader: Currently accepting applications Targeted Reviewers: Currently accepting applications http://success.uncg.edu/employment/